First Order TIE Fighter Pilots or First Order TIE pilots were skilled pilots who served the First Order, hunting down enemy vessels and protecting space around installations and warships in their advanced TIE/fo space superiority fighters. Elite pilots had access to TIE/sf space superiority fighters, two-seater TIE craft equipped with enhanced weaponry and sensor systems.
First Order TIE pilots wore a uniform consisting of a black jumpsuit with a chestplate with life support gear, pauldrons on the shoulders, gauntlets, a utility belt, boots, and a helmet with goggles. The helmet had a flexible gas transfer hose, which connected to the pilot's life support system. The helmet's goggles also had an interior viewplate that projected combat data to the pilots.
Pilots were typically issued with a SE-44C blaster pistol, which could be carried in a holster on their belt when not in use.
Lieutenant Galek speaks to TIE pilot cadets.
Since the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War had seen the various flight academies under the Empire returned to local institutions, the TIE pilots of the First Order were trained directly within First Order-owned ships, whether they be newly created ships or Imperial survivors of the war. Largely because they could not afford to train an endless supply of pilots, the First Order treated its fighter pilots as important parts of its war machine instead of disposable assets; unlike its predecessor. Potential pilots were identified as children and given rigorous training, often within the corridors of warships, then tested ruthlessly throughout their careers to ensure their reflexes, visual acuity and coordination measured up.
Due to the nature of their training, many of them never set foot on a planet during this time. However, the First Order was also willing to recruit regular citizens into their starfighter corps, training them to be TIE pilots. The First Order's pilots had a higher life expectancy than their Imperial equivalents; largely due to their not having to be burdened with a restrictive galactic budget. In combat, TIE pilots tended to rely on the same tactics and maneuvers, which Resistance pilot Jessika Pava assumed to be something drilled into the pilots during training. While still effective, such overreliance on their standard tactics could make TIE pilots predictable to their foes.
Pilots who demonstrated both exceptional skill and unwavering loyalty were promoted to elite ranks within First Order during the Cold War. Major Elrik Vonreg was a pilot who answered directly to Captain Phasma. TN-3465 was recruited by Phasma for the hunt for Rivas. "Quickdraw" was a pilot who was once involved in an engagement amid the wreckage of another starship. During the Battle of Grail City, TIE pilots displayed exuberance and took numerous risks in combat instead of relying on their typical tactics.
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